The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area advanced 1.2 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that energy prices rose 2.4 percent while food prices were 1.1 percent higher in January. The all items less food and energy index was up 1.1 percent over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for shelter, apparel, and recreation. (See table 1 and table 2.) (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area all items CPI-U advanced 4.3 percent for the 12 months ending in January. The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.8 percent over the year. Food prices rose 1.7 percent. Energy prices increased 2.7 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, January 2022–January 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Jan 2022	6.8	4.8
Feb 2022	7.1	5.2
Mar 2022	7.8	5.3
Apr 2022	7.2	4.8
May 2022	8.0	4.7
Jun 2022	8.9	5.0
Jul 2022	8.4	5.0
Aug 2022	8.3	6.0
Sep 2022	8.2	6.4
Oct 2022	7.7	6.1
Nov 2022	6.8	5.7
Dec 2022	5.5	5.3
Jan 2023	5.4	5.3
Feb 2023	5.0	5.0
Mar 2023	4.4	5.5
Apr 2023	4.8	5.6
May 2023	3.3	5.2
Jun 2023	2.1	5.1
Jul 2023	2.2	4.7
Aug 2023	2.3	4.0
Sep 2023	2.3	3.6
Oct 2023	2.4	4.1
Nov 2023	2.5	4.1
Dec 2023	3.3	4.1
Jan 2024	3.3	3.9
Feb 2024	3.4	3.8
Mar 2024	3.1	3.2
Apr 2024	3.0	3.3
May 2024	3.1	3.3
Jun 2024	3.0	3.4
Jul 2024	3.7	3.9
Aug 2024	3.8	4.3
Sep 2024	4.1	5.0
Oct 2024	3.5	4.1
Nov 2024	3.8	4.5
Dec 2024	3.9	4.4
Jan 2025	4.3	4.8

Food prices advanced 1.1 percent for the month of January. Prices for food at home (groceries) advanced 1.8 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged for the same period. Within the food at home group, categories experiencing increases included spices, seasonings, condiments, sauces; carbonated drinks; and eggs.

Food prices rose 1.7 percent over the year. The food at home index rose 1.2 percent as three of the six major grocery store food group indexes advanced over the year. Increasing indexes included nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+5.1 percent); meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+2.1 percent); and dairy and related products (+3.4 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 2.6 percent.

The energy index increased 2.4 percent over the month and was up 2.7 percent over the year.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent in January. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (+0.7 percent) and apparel (+5.0 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.8 percent over the year. Categories increasing over the year included shelter (+6.1 percent) and medical care (+3.9 percent).

The February 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2025.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Consumer Price Index for Chicago is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

Percent changes for all-items data previously found in Table A of this release can be accessed in Chart 1 for this release and its attendant data table. A full all-items data series history for the original index value and for 1-month, 2-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month percent changes can be accessed via BLS data query tools. A direct link to the all-items series is provided in Table 1 of this release under historical data.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Core Based Statistical Area includes Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U by expenditure category for January 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024	Jan. 2025	Jan. 2024	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024
All items		294.542	294.757	298.213	4.3	1.2	1.2
All items (1967=100)		879.970	880.612	890.936	-	-	-
Food and beverages		325.673	323.117	326.737	1.7	0.3	1.1
Food		326.037	323.521	327.091	1.7	0.3	1.1
Food at home		301.782	298.089	303.419	1.2	0.5	1.8
Cereals and bakery products		338.165	340.052	337.898	-0.1	-0.1	-0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		323.697	316.802	325.509	2.1	0.6	2.7
Dairy and related products		269.487	264.291	270.726	3.4	0.5	2.4
Fruits and vegetables		358.858	362.401	361.892	-0.5	0.8	-0.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		264.984	260.605	272.688	5.1	2.9	4.6
Other food at home		249.374	243.475	248.974	-0.2	-0.2	2.3
Food away from home		351.685	351.389	351.352	2.6	-0.1	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		319.334	316.265	320.845	1.8	0.5	1.4
Housing		314.819	316.611	320.229	5.2	1.7	1.1
Shelter		405.476	407.583	410.474	6.1	1.2	0.7
Rent of primary residence		433.196	434.614	436.540	5.0	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		420.176	422.415	424.840	6.1	1.1	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		420.176	422.415	424.840	6.1	1.1	0.6
Household furnishings and operations		102.611	103.251	105.608	0.5	2.9	2.3
Apparel		89.170	90.705	95.272	4.8	6.8	5.0
Transportation		243.384	241.053	244.749	6.3	0.6	1.5
Private transportation		245.407	244.783	246.859	6.5	0.6	0.8
New and used motor vehicles(3)		117.424	116.834	117.699	2.5	0.2	0.7
New vehicles(1)		213.517	213.165	213.847	-0.9	0.2	0.3
Used cars and trucks(1)		350.973	352.019	353.121	1.7	0.6	0.3
Motor fuel		287.120	288.419	288.933	3.1	0.6	0.2
Gasoline (all types)		285.248	286.604	287.127	3.4	0.7	0.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		273.702	275.037	275.618	3.3	0.7	0.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		328.984	329.983	329.641	4.3	0.2	-0.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		325.049	326.302	326.128	4.3	0.3	-0.1
Medical care		570.463	571.876	573.568	3.9	0.5	0.3
Recreation(3)		135.233	135.545	137.148	1.0	1.4	1.2
Education and communication(3)		143.982	143.698	144.350	2.1	0.3	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,334.699	1,334.699	1,333.955	4.7	-0.1	-0.1
Other goods and services		511.684	508.644	511.853	6.7	0.0	0.6
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U by special aggregate index for January 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024	Jan. 2025	Jan. 2024	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024
All items		294.542	294.757	298.213	4.3	1.2	1.2
Food		326.037	323.521	327.091	1.7	0.3	1.1
Energy		230.083	232.080	237.722	2.7	3.3	2.4
All items less food and energy		299.485	299.960	303.262	4.8	1.3	1.1
All items less energy		302.818	302.886	306.221	4.4	1.1	1.1
All items less medical care		282.940	283.099	286.694	4.3	1.3	1.3
All items less shelter		256.860	256.405	260.005	3.2	1.2	1.4
Commodities		199.311	198.487	201.217	0.9	1.0	1.4
Commodities less food		146.550	146.322	148.603	0.3	1.4	1.6
Commodities less food & beverages		140.737	140.581	142.779	0.2	1.5	1.6
Durables		92.881	92.334	93.322	-3.0	0.5	1.1
Nondurables		258.239	257.275	261.085	1.9	1.1	1.5
Nondurables less food		200.771	200.878	204.743	2.1	2.0	1.9
Nondurables less food & beverages		192.849	193.116	196.890	2.1	2.1	2.0
Services		384.910	386.109	390.212	6.0	1.4	1.1
Services less rent of shelter(1)		381.857	382.168	387.595	5.8	1.5	1.4
Services less medical care services		369.625	370.743	374.995	6.1	1.5	1.1
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.